Cheese-press.



L. MIDDLETDN.

CHEESE PRESS.

4(Applieazicm led Mar. 20. 1901.)

No. 678,965. Patented July 23, 190|L (No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

LEE MIDDLETON, OF OLARKSVILLE, MISSOURI.

CHEESE-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part f Letters Patent N0. 678,965, dated July 23, 1901.

Application filed March 20, 190i Serial. No. 52,058. (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom, it nur/y oon/cerro:

Be it known that I, LEE MIDDLETON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clarksville, in the county of Pike and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cheese-Presses; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification; and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The present invention has for its object to provide a cheese-press especially adapted for family use and which will be simple in construction, easily operated,and effective in giving the necessary pressure to the cheese with comparatively little time and labor; and the invention consists of a cheese-press constructed substantially as shown in the drawings and hereinafter described and claimed.

Figure l of the drawings is a side elevation, partly in section, of a cheese-press embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a detail sectional view taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the hoop or cylinder of the usual construction and having perforations through its sides, as shown, to allow the escape of the whey when the curd is being compressed, the interior of the hoop or cylinder having a circumferential flange ct for supporting a perforated bottom B, the whey passing through the perforations therein,as well as through the perforations in the hoop or cylinder. The perforated bottom B simply rests upon the flange a and is removable from the hoop or cylinder A, as is also the usual follower C, and between said perforated bottom and follower is placed the curd, as indicated at X.

The upper end of the hoop or cylinder A is provided with suitable lianges b, which are diametrically opposite each other and are for the purpose of holding to the hoop or cylinder the support D and admit of its ready removal when required. The'ends of the support D, upon the under side thereof, have inwardly-extending lugs c to engage with the flanges b, whereby said support is securely held in place when brought diametrically 5 a across the hoop or cylinder.

I do not Wish to be understood as limiting my invention to any special means for detachably connecting the support to the hoop or cylinder, and any suitable form of hoop or cylinder and of any preferred construction may be used without departing from the essential features of the invention, and any desirable construction of perforated bottom and the follower may be substituted for that shown.

A plunger-bar E exten ds thro ugh a suitablyshaped opening in the support D and is provided at its lower end with a plunger-head F, which. is adapted to bear on the follower O, as shown. This plunger-bar E is provided with two sets of ratchet-teeth d c upon opposite sides of the bar, and at right angles to the two sets of ratchet-teeth are guides f g. The position of the guides with relation to the ratchet-teeth and to each otheris more clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The support D is provided with two standards Gr, between which the plunger-bar E works, said standards being connected together at their upper ends by a suitable bracket H, which is preferably integral therewith. The standards Ghave ears h, between which is pivotally connected a suitable weighted or gravitating pawl I, which is adapted to engage the ratchet-teeth upon one side of the plunger-bar E, as found most preferable, so as to hold said bar against raising after being depressed. To the bracketH is pivotally connected two handlevers J, which carry weighted or gravitating dogs K, said dogs being pivoted to the under side of the levers near their pivotal ends, as shown in Fig. l of the drawings, said dogs engaging the ratchetteeth upon both sides of the plunger-bar E, whereby said bar is forced downward through the medium of the levers. These dogs are of a construction particularly adapted to the uses intended, said dogs having arms t' eX- tending upward at an acute angle to a perpendicular and pivoted to the inner ends of the levers J, as shown at j, the arms joining with horizontal arms 7c, which terminate in weights l, forming together a pivoted gravitating dog, as hereinbefore described.

The hand-levers J are preferably constructed with an opening through their ends, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the draw- ICO ings, whereby said levers may be lengthened by connecting thereto handles of suitable construction.

Any suitable hand-levers may be substituted for the levers shown without in any manner affecting the operation thereof.

The support D, with its standards Gr and bracket H, provides a very simple, strong, and practical device for supporting the operating parts of the press.

A If desired, the hoop or cylinder may be similarly constructed at each end with the (langes for securing thereto the support, so that the hoop or cylinder may be reversed.

The plunger-bar E, with its two sets of ratchet-teeth and the two guides fg, provides a very simple plunger that will operate Without any lateral or sidewise motion, the double guards steadying the plunger-bar upon both v sides and insuring a more perfect operation.

Having now fully described my invention, i

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

An attachment for the hoops or cylinders of cheese-presses, consisting of a horizontal support provided with means for detachably 4connecting it to the hoop or cylinder, a cen- Witnesses:

T. L. FIELDER, FRANK J. DUvALL. 

